- The student improved their Photoshop and design skills between the preliminary and main tasks. The preliminary masthead and images were basic, whereas the main task versions used effects like drop shadows and made more creative design choices. - Both contents pages had similar structures but the main task version was more refined with additions like distinct section headings and a plectrum-shaped page reference. - The images in the main task were of higher quality due to better equipment and lighting. They were also edited more skillfully to achieve specific aesthetic effects that fit the magazine genre. - The typography and font choices on the main task cover were more strategically designed and executed to maximize readability and intrigue compared to the preliminary

1. LOOKING BACK AT YOUR
PRELIMINARY TASK, WHAT DO
YOU FEEL YOU HAVE LEARNT IN
THE PROGRESSION FROM IT TO
THE FULL PRODUCT?

2. MASTHEAD
From the preliminary task masthead to the main task one, there is an evident improvement between the two. Whereas in the
preliminary task, I used a very basic, simplistic font, (although, in all fairness, it was a sixth form magazine which was aimed to be
rather informative, and so a far more formal font was more appropriate), this was due to my lack of Photoshop skills at the time
to be able to edit the masthead to look more professional and intriguing. The preliminary task one consists of a very thin yellow
outline of the text ‘SIXTH SENSE’ to make it stand out more from the page, and it is also one of the key colours I used in my colour
scheme. The main task masthead, however, definitely illustrates how I began to experiment with the different tools on
Photoshop, such as the drop-shadow effect, not to mention the way in which the font I chose prompts a very interesting and
creative approach to it with the hand prints.
Apart from the aesthetics of them, the mastheads are similar by the way in which they behold some interesting concepts. ‘SIXTH
SENSE’ was chosen as a play on words due to the fact that it was aimed for sixth form students and the possibility of another
power. I much preferred this masthead due to the fact that I aimed for my magazine to focus primarily on unseen or upcoming
artists, and the term ‘underdog’ is used to describe someone who is capable of something, but isn’t fully in the limelight just yet;
it is someone who subtly becomes very successful, which is definitely the rhetoric of this magazine.
In comparison to my preliminary task, there is definitely a vast improvement overall, as I chose this font more specifically, and
certainly more meaningfully because the font somewhat reflects the genre of the magazine being indie-rock, which is suggested
by this expressive, almost shady piece.

3. CONTENTS PAGE
There are a number of similarities between the preliminary contents
page and that of the main task. Primarily, the title of the contents page is
relatively similar, as I have written ‘CONTENTS’ at the top of the page in a
banner with a contrasting colour, which, significantly, are also colours
which I had used in the front covers so as to demonstrate a sense of
continuity. This definitely identifies this as the contents page, however, I
developed if further with the masthead actually being in the title in my
music magazine, as it referred to some research I had conducted.
Moreover, both contents pages distinguish the difference between
‘regulars’ and ‘features’ although I believe that I also developed this
further in my music magazine by including ‘news’ and ‘reviews’, as again,
this was common in my research of music magazines. Moreover, each
sub-heading i.e. ‘news’, ‘features’, ‘regulars’ and ‘reviews’ have all been
highlighted in black with the WOB effect to make these stand out. I have
clearly made sure that the page numbers are easily visible in both
contents pages, however, I do believe that with the way in which I have
aligned the contents on my music magazine, it makes it more neat, and
more visually pleasing. The use of picture boosts is evident in both as
well, however, I much prefer the page reference on my additional images
in my music magazine, as I was really creative with the shape I used: a
plectrum which I had created in InDesign. This reflects the entire genre of
my magazine, too. Furthermore, whereas the preliminary one consists of
a long shot of a student, I felt that the angle at which the image had been
shot did not look right, especially when placed on the white background.
However for my main task, I like the fact that I placed the images in
borders to appear more neat. Furthermore, I also included an ‘editor’s
comments’ with a signature for authenticity, alongside the subscription
to the magazine, both of which are a professional-looking features.
Overall, all my decisions to include certain features certainly indicate a
development in ideas, to make my music magazine appear as
professional as possible.
Clearly the layouts are very different, which was definitely fuelled by the
amount of research I did when looking at other magazine contents pages. By
looking at existing music magazines, I noticed that they tended to put sub-
headings above the different categories so as to make it easier for the reader to
navigate around the page, and given that it has been made into 2 columns, it
makes it even easier to read. The other column is generally taken up by images,
used as picture boosts so as to visualise what some of the pages refer to.

4. IMAGES
There is a huge contrast from the images I used in the preliminary to that of the images in the main task. This is mainly due to the way in which I
edited the photographs and the equipment I used. For example, when looking at the preliminary front cover, the close up mid shot image looks
slightly too washed out and almost too bright which has a slight under-saturated quality. This is due to the fact that I used a simple flash function on
a 12 mega pixel camera. In comparison, when taking the photos for the main task, I had a white backdrop and a set of artificial lighting which
produced a much more studio-produced finish. This gave me the opportunity to experiment with the amount of lighting that would be captured in
the image, and I think I experimented with this well, because in the image I used for the front cover, it was definitely more professional-looking and
sophisticated. The image also looks more natural, as I simply contrasted the colours on the model’s clothes on Photoshop which contrasts very well
with the white background. This is similar to the images I used on my contents page. The images generally looked too over-saturated, therefore the
colours were not very realistic, especially with the main long shot image. This was due to the limited skills I had on Photoshop. In stark contrast, the
images I used for my main task appear more authentic, even though I only edited these images slightly. This was due to the fact that, given my
genre, I wanted my images to have an authentic, almost retro feel, with the sepia effect for the main image, followed by the images below which
were simply taken using a 5 mega pixel smartphone. The images of my magazine staff also look quite edgy with the black and white poster effect,
again done on Photoshop, which have interesting contrasts, to further define my genre. Lastly, although I didn’t create a double page spread for the
preliminary, the editing of the wide shot which I used in my DPS definitely consolidates how my photo-editing skills have developed from the
preliminary, which gives me a sense of achievement as I have progressed greatly. It is also worth mentioning that when it came to taking my
photographs for the main task, it was extremely helpful to have already planned out images with shot plans so as to be more time efficient, and get
the most meaning out of my images.

5. FONTS/TYPOGRAPHY –
FRONT COVER
In relation to typography, I feel that I have also improved in the sense of meaning and
positioning of text. There are some similarities between the preliminary task and the main
task, including the ‘EXCLUSIVE’ headline and the positioning of some of the texts. I used a
similar font for this, however, I experimented more with the position of it on the main task to
appear more effective, through the way in which it slants at a slight angle, and is much
bigger, which goes across the long shot of the artist to attract more attention. The red, which
connotes danger and passion also contrasts well with the white and black to further attract
attention onto the page, unlike the preliminary task in which the colours simply did not
contrast at all.
The masthead is also much more developed, although I did place it in the same place. I used
a much more interesting font on Photoshop for the main task than the preliminary which
definitely would attract more attention.
Similar to that of the preliminary task, I played around with using a mixture of different fonts
so as to create different meanings, my favourite being: ‘Ways to REVISE, stay WISE and let
success RISE’ but due to the colour of the background, the colours did not collaborate well
with one another therefore they weren’t as effective as they could have been. Fortunately, I
learnt from this flaw when planning for and constructing my main task product so as to
emphasise the headlines more. One of the ways in which I used typography to its best effect
was in ‘The White Stripes Reunion?’ I thought this made the headline even more fascinating
and intriguing. The fonts overall appear more refined, and it is quite noticeable how I made
sure that the most important headlines were capitalised, in bold or larger than the other
headlines. For example, I made sure that the most popular or well-known artists were larger
and in bold which would attract attention as readers would be able to familiarise themselves
with these well-known artists whilst also finding out about a new, upcoming artist.
The colours, too, are much more refined and professional given my house style of red, white
and black, which I successfully used throughout the rest of the magazine for consistency. This
is a massive difference from the preliminary given that I had not even planned a consistent
house style, therefore most of the colours were improvised. This shows in the fact that the
colours I used were mainly primary colours which were not particularly fitting for an
audience of sixth form students. Moreover, these colours and fonts really over-shadowed the
image, which I was more cautious of avoiding in the main task, and overall, this has definitely
worked.
The font ‘Ebrima’ was my key font as it was
part of my house style, as I frequently used
this throughout my magazine from the front
cover, to the contents page, to the DPS which
certainly adds continuity to my product, hence
suggesting professionalism.

6. FONTS/TYPOGRAPHY – CONTENTS PAGE
As mentioned, the font I wanted to use the most was ‘Ebrima’ which I have used for
most of the contents page, apart from the title. In terms of the title, I simply placed the
masthead there, as it is the name of the publication besides the title ‘contents’ which
was a convention I found in a number of music magazines. I chose to use this text
because of how simplistic it was which makes it easy for the audience to read. When
researching the typography in other magazines, I noticed that even magazines with a
similar genre to my own generally used a standard font to make it accessible for
everyone.
Again, the colours contrast well together as I still stuck with a white background, similar
to that of the front cover, for the black and red text to contrast with. The use of black
highlighting on the white subheadings further accentuate the features of the magazine
that the readers would be interested in looking at. This was also a common convention
of music magazines, especially of a similar genre to my magazine.
Furthermore, I really like the way in which I created the page references on the images I
included; creating the plectrum shapes was an innovative idea of my own, to place the
page numbers on. This was much more interesting and certainly reflects my music genre
effectively.
Lastly, I also included the subscription feature which was briefly created as an
advertisement, hence the repetitive ‘SUBSCRIPTION’ banner was purposefully created to
draw attention. I accentuated the most importance information such as the price and
how much readers could save.
Overall, I feel that the decisions I made about fonts definitely reflects the research I
conducted over contents pages in particular, mimicking the general layout as well and
visual presentation.

7. WHAT WOULD I IMPROVE IF I DID THE TASK
AGAIN?
The predominant improvement I would make relates to my time-keeping. Although,
I did have a diary to work with, in order to keep track of where I was going and what
I needed to work on through each session. That said, by the end of the construction
process, I feel that I did not have enough time to create the contents page or DPS in
as much quality as I would have preferred.
Moreover, the subscription feature in the contents page really frustrated me as I can
tell that the way I have designed it is not as appealing as other subscriptions in
magazines. It also doesn’t follow a particular code and convention, but I have
developed it slightly. To improve this, if I had more time, I would have looked more
at a number of magazine constructions of their subscriptions because that’s what is
lacking slight professionalism or believability.
However, overall, I am very happy with the way in which all of my magazine
elements have turned out as they generally look very professional and believable,
having looked back at all the codes and conventions I have researched previously.